Management and Administration

Andy Thompson – Founder and Managing Director

A Big Welcome to our school! I started ESB in 2010 when it was clear that a number of parents were frustrated, like my Hungarian wife and I, that they could not provide a good and affordable English education whilst allowing their children to participate in a normal Hungarian school. A British friend of mine (you know who you are) had just moved here from Paris where her children attended a school that taught English according to the English curriculum on Wednesdays, the day that French schools don’t teach. She and some other educators suggested we start a similar format in Budapest.
And so the story started….

I have 5 children and in Budapest they have been to international, bilingual and state schools. Each was a compromise to some degree. At ESB we hope to make that compromise easier.

Should you wish to contact me, I would be delighted to hear from you. I look forward to meeting you.

Our Director of Operations – Mark Davies

We are delighted to welcome Mark Davies to the ESB management team as Director of Operations. Mark will be responsible on a part time basis for all non educational aspects of running the school. He is a highly experienced and respected educational leader, with 20 years school management experience in Budapest.

Mark Davies is from the UK and has been working in education since 1979. He graduated in Engineering Science and Management and then gained his PGCE. Since 1983 he has held whole school management positions, initially as IT coordinator and more recently as head of an international bilingual school in Budapest and was responsible for the day to day organisation and leadership of a rapidly growing international school.

Mark has lived in Budapest since 1997, and is married with one son. He enjoys cycling and playing tennis as well as following football, especially his home team Watford. Cooking is another thing he enjoys, and especially like to experiment and adapt recipes.

Our Director of Education – Rachel McKinnon

Ms Rachel hails from Aberdeen, Scotland and has been living in Budapest since 2016. She began working at the ESB as a class teacher and was shortly thereafter promoted to Head of Curriculum; she will assume a new, key position, Director of Education, from August 2018. Prior to joining the ESB, Ms Rachel worked in a variety of different educational roles including support worker for pupils with special educational needs, youth worker, and English teacher in England, Scotland, and Hungary.Ms Rachel completed an undergraduate degree in English and Scottish Literature in 2014 before moving to Brighton to complete her PGCE (Post Graduate Certificate in Education) in English Language and Literature. Her love for teaching, combined with her love for travel, lead to Rachel applying for a position at the English School of Budapest. Since joining the ESB, Ms Rachel has strengthened her skills as a classroom teacher by teaching a wide range of ages and abilities.In addition to her work, Rachel has founded an English language book club in Budapest and continues to actively study Hungarian. Ms Rachel loves cooking, reading, or enjoying the outdoors in her free time!

Our Admissions and Programmes Director– Eszter Gulyas

Ms Eszter is responsible for managing all new student admissons at ESB. She handles parental communications and manages payments and finances at our Tarogato site. Since graduating from university, Ms Eszter has worked in similar office roles at the British Council, City & Guilds and the Ministry of Education. She is always enthusiastic about creative projects, that is why she is happy to have joined ESB.
When she has free time, she enjoys cooking, listening to funky, traveling and playing poker with her family and friends.

Our Administration Assistant– Viktória Ferenczi

Ms Viki is the contact for parents in our Apor Vilmos School, answering parents’ questions and completing administration tasks.Viki lives in Óbuda with her family. Her son Doni is 9, and her daughter Bianka is 4 years old. She loves swimming and traveling,her favorite place is the sunny Italy.At ESB Viki is enjoying the school atmosphere, she used to work in BISB in similar roles.Don't hesitate to contact her she is alwayshappy to help!

Viewpoints

Samu started attending ESB 6 months ago. He was a complete beginner at the time. Now he speaks in sentences and has a vocabulary of several hundred words. In six months he’s made incredible progress, while also having fun and making new friends.

Orsolya (mother of Samu)

“Our daughter was a little shy when joining ESB, having had very basic English – but she liked the classes from the first moment. After 5 months she is making steady progress and starts to be able to express herself. ESB seems to create good motivation for them and the various activities built around the themes covered keep the children’s interest.”

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